Best Bass Guitar Amps
Let us help you find the best Bass Guitar Amp to fit your needs now!
Best Bass Combo Amp
| Best Bass Guitar Combo Amp | Price | Read Review |
|---|---|---|
Fender Bassman TV Duo Bass Combo Amp | $999 | This is Fender’s entry into compact, lightweight D Class field. Looking like a tweed-covered TV set, the new Bassman amps have a tube preamp and a 350W power amp. Really simple to operate and it delivers the famous Fender tone. Read Fender Bassman TV Duo Review ... |
TC Electronic Combo | $699 | High-tech Danish builder TC Electronic is best known for their digital guitar and bass effects, but has more recently gotten into the amplifier business. And we should be thankful they did. Read TC Electronic Combo Review ... |
Best Bass Amp Head
| Best Bass Guitar Amp Head | Price | Read Review |
|---|---|---|
TC Electronic Classic450 Bass Amp Head | $649 | High tech at a reasonable price. Made in Denmark. The Classic450 is a stripped-down version of their RH450, with all of the bells and whistles removed, but with the necessities intact. Read TC Electronic Bass Amp Head Review ... |
Marks Markbass Little Mark Tube Bass Amp Head | $679 | The Italian-built Little Mark Tube is a 500W Class D hybrid. Along with the usual features, it also includes a “Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator” (VLE) and “Variable Preshape Filter” (VPF), both of which are nice additions. Read Marks Markbass Little Mark Tube Bass Amp Head Review ... |
Fender TB-600 Bass Amp Head | $1,099.99 | The TB-600 is one of Fender’s newer models. It’s a 600W tube/transistor hybrid amp that Fender touts as having a vintage tone. Among the other features that justify their claim is a tube overdrive circuit. This is what nailed it for me. Read Fender TB-600 Bass Amp Head Review ... |
Gallien-Krueger 800RB Bass Amp Head | $799 | The GK 800RB was the unofficial official bass amp of punk rock when it appeared in the late ’80s. Simple, sturdy and loud. Music has changed in the last 20 years, but it hasn’t. Read Gallien-Krueger 800RB Bass Amp Head Review ... |
What to Look for in Bass Guitar Amps
Combo or Separate Head and Cabinet (Stack):
There is very little difference between a combo amp and a separate head and speaker cabinet. The “head” has the pre-amp, signal processing, and the power amp. A combo amp is just the two pieces in a common box. Bass players prefer to create their own head-cabinet combinations, using one head and a set of cabinets for different situations, there are those who prefer the old-fashioned combo amp. Combos tend to be a little bit cheaper than buying the items separately, and are easier to transport. Some combo units have fewer inputs and outputs, but that does not affect the sound quality.
Speaker Cabinet:
In order to reproduce the bass frequencies accurately, the speaker diameter needs to be very large and move in and out a long way. A standard guitar speaker cannot handle the amount of movement required to produce bass frequencies. This is one of the reasons behind why a bass cabinet must be sealed or ported. At the lowest frequencies, the speaker needs to have the air inside the box push back a little to keep it under control. The size and length of the port tube helps the speaker stay under control at even lower frequencies.
Speaker Size:
When it comes to bass, most people think that bigger is better. This is not necessarily the case. Some will prefer the sound of several smaller speakers in one cabinet, others will prefer the sound of one or two larger speakers in a cabinet. Several smaller speakers in a bass cabinet delivers a tighter, more accurate sound. A larger speaker tends to be a bit heavy, perhaps even “mushy” sound.
Number of Speakers:
Cabinets 8 x 10″ speakers are available, but a 2 x 12″ or 4 x 10″ is more than enough, and it will sound much better than a 1 x 15″ or 1 x 18″. For large venues, some bassists combine a 1 x 15″ cabinet with a 4 x 10″ cabinet, utilizing a crossover to send the lower frequencies to the 15″ speaker for fullness and depth, and the low mids and up to the 4 x 10″ for clarity and punch.
Amplifier:
A 100-Watt amp is good for practice, however, since low frequencies draw a lot of power moving those big heavy speakers back and forth, consider an amp in the 200-400 Watt power range.
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Channels:
With dual channels you can set up two different EQ and effects chains and easily switch between them. If internal overdrive is desired, having two gain controls are helpful to control both distortion amount and volume. EQ will be either a simple 3-knob tone control or a more sophisticated parametric or graphic EQ may be available. This applies to both combo amps and separate head.
Portability:
Bass cabinets tend to be made of heavier wood plus larger and more speakers mean heavier magnets, a means of easy transportation, such as wheels and sturdy handles are essential.
Construction:
Bass cabinets vibrate more than any other cabinet, therefore, the construction needs to be solid and the wood should be thicker. Also, since they tend to be heavy, it’s more common for them to be handled roughly. Look for metal corner caps and speaker screens.